The Lashkar al-Zil or Shadow Army (also known as Jaish al Usrah, or the Army of the Protective Shield) is a paramilitary organization linked to al-Qaeda

Al-Qaeda

Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...

 and descended from the 055 Brigade

055 Brigade

The 055 Brigade was an elite guerrilla organization sponsored and trained by Al Qaeda that was integrated into the Taliban army between 1995 and 2001...

. According to Syed Saleem Shahzad

Syed Saleem Shahzad

Syed Saleem Shahzad was a Pakistani investigative journalist who wrote widely for leading European and Asian media. He served as the Pakistan Bureau Chief of Asia Times Online and Italian news agency Adnkronos . He was found dead in a canal in North-east Pakistan, showing signs of torture, two...

, it "comprises the Pakistani Taliban, 313 Brigade, the Afghan Taliban, Hezb-e-Islami Afghanistan and former Iraqi Republican Guard

Iraqi Republican Guard

The Iraqi Republican Guard was a branch of the Iraqi military during the presidency of Saddam Hussein. It later became the Republican Guard Corps, and then the Republican Guard Forces Command with its expansion into two corps....

s". Lashkar al-Zil has reportedly been led by Khalid Habib al Shami

Khalid Habib

Khalid Habib was an ascending member of al-Qaeda's central structure in Pakistan and Afghanistan. His nationality has been reported as Egyptian and as Moroccan ....

 (killed October 2008), Abdullah Said al Libi

Abdullah Said al Libi

Abdullah Said al-Libi is described as being an al Qaeda operational leader in Pakistan.According to Bill Roggio a missile fired from an unmanned predator drone killed Said al-Libi on 17 December 2009 in North Wazaristan.-References:...

 (killed December 2009), and Ilyas Kashmiri

Ilyas Kashmiri (militant)

Ilyas Kashmiri, also referred to as Maulana Ilyas Kashmiri and Muhammad Ilyas Kashmiri , was a senior al-Qaeda member and leader of the Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami He was also connected with the Soviet-Afghan war, the Kashmir conflict and attacks against India, Pakistan and the United States...

 (killed June 3, 2011).

The Lashkar al-Zil has been involved in attacks in Afghanistan's eastern and southern provinces. News reports have linked it to several specific attacks, including the Camp Chapman attack

Camp Chapman attack

The Camp Chapman attack was a suicide attack against Forward Operating Base Chapman, a key facility of the Central Intelligence Agency in Afghanistan, on December 30, 2009. The base is located near the eastern Afghan city of Khost, in a stronghold of the Taliban movement...

 (December 30, 2009) and the Sudhnati

Sudhnati District

-Administration:The district is part of the Vale of Kashmir, which is an area in dispute between India and Pakistan. The district is divided into three tehsils: Pallandri, Mang, and Trarkhal....

suicide bombing (January 6, 2010).